After years of absence, Motorola returns with the Edge to the more expensive smartphone market. The device is especially notable for its curved screen and price of 599 euros. In this Motorola Edge review you can read whether the phone is worth buying.
Motorola Edge
List price € 599, –
Color Black
OS Android 10
Screen 6.7 inch OLED (2340 x 1080)
Processor 2.3 Ghz octacore (Snapdragon 765)
RAM 6GB
Storage 128GB (expandable)
Battery 4,500 mAh
Camera 64, 16 and 8 megapixel (rear), 25 megapixel (front)
Connectivity 5G, 4G (LTE), Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi, GPS, NFC
Format 16.1 x 7.1 x 0.92 cm
Weight 188 grams
Other Fingerprint scanner behind screen, splash resistant
Website www.motorola.com/nl 6.8 Score 68 
- Pros
- Large 90Hz screen
- Battery life
- Relatively inexpensive 5G smartphone
- Beautiful design
- Negatives
- Cameras in the dark
- Not water and dust proof
- Curved screen edges
- Substandard update policy
Motorola has been making budget smartphones with a competitive price-quality ratio for a long time, but has remained in the more expensive segment in the Netherlands for years. The Motorola Edge marks the return, but does not compete in terms of price and specifications with the thousand-euro devices such as the OnePlus 8 Pro and Apple iPhone 11 Pro. The Edge has a suggested retail price of 599 euros and positions itself as a cheaper alternative to the top models, without sacrificing features such as 5G support. In this Motorola Edge review you can read how that works out.
High-profile design
The Edge’s design immediately catches the eye. Minimal edges above and below the display and a continuous screen over the sides give the device a futuristic look. The glass look reminds me of the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, but the Edge comes across more sophisticated. One downside is that the phone is only splash proof. Pleasant are the presence of a 3.5mm port to connect your headphones and the stereo speakers, which sound better and louder than average.
The screen is 6.7 inch on the large side and cannot be operated with one hand. The full-HD resolution makes the screen appear and the OLED display delivers beautiful colors. The refresh rate is higher at 90Hz than usual (60Hz), making the image look smoother. Competitive smartphones like the OnePlus 8 and Oppo Find X2 Neo also have a 90Hz screen. The screen has a small hole for the selfie camera. The fingerprint scanner is behind the display and works properly.
The curved screen edges
Update 7/13/2020: Motorola states that the screen problems were caused by an earlier software version, and that version QDP30.70.48 and newer fixes these problems. Indeed, there is no longer any green effect on my test sample.
A small part of the Edge models suffer from screen problems. I see dozens of users on the internet complaining of a green cast, purple dots or black spots. My test sample also shows a green effect on the edges – see the photo above.
The Edge’s curved screen edges have pros and cons. Motorola offers options in the settings menu to highlight the edges of notifications and you can start your favorite apps with swipes and switch between recently used apps. This works properly. Still, the benefits don’t outweigh the cons for me. The vertical edges look darker than the rest of the screen due to the shadow and make part of your text, photo or other media appear slanted. This does not look pleasant. Motorola is also aware of this: by tapping the edge twice, the edges turn off and your media is more visible. Unfortunately, the software doesn’t remember your preference, so you keep tapping in every app.
Hardware
I am more positive about the specifications of the smartphone. The Edge has a fast Snapdragon 765 processor with 6GB of memory and has a spacious 128GB storage memory with micro-SD card slot. The 4500 mAh battery sings effortlessly for a day and a half. Because Motorola supplies a relatively slow 18W USB-C plug, charging takes two hours. Wireless charging is unfortunately not possible. The Motorola Edge with its 5G modem is suitable for 5G internet, which will be available in the Netherlands from the summer of 2020.
The triple camera (normal, wide angle and zoom) on the back shoots ‘just good’ photos during the day. Sharp, colorful and true to nature. The usefulness of the zoom lens is limited with twice magnification. In the dark, the Edge’s camera does noticeably less well and the images look too dark, with a lot of noise and less accurate colors. The ‘smart’ camera software for better images is actually quite stupid because it does not always recognize objects well. A cleaning sponge falls into the ‘food’ category, to give just one example.
Fine software, poor update policy
The Motorola Edge runs on a hardly modified version of Android 10, which I am very satisfied with. The update policy, on the other hand, is substandard. Motorola only promises an update to Android 11, which will be released in the fall. In fact, the device will receive six months of version updates, after that in principle nothing more. Security updates appear every three months for two years. That is shorter and less common than many competitive smartphones. The bad update policy is the main reason for me not to recommend the Motorola Edge.
Conclusion: Buy a Motorola Edge?
The Motorola Edge is a smartphone with two faces. The device looks beautiful because of the curved screen edges, but they also have a negative effect on the user experience. In addition, some of the phones have screen problems. And Motorola’s software is very user-friendly, but lacks a good update policy. The Edge’s hardware leaves a good impression, but cuts down on things like wireless charging, camera performance in the dark, and a waterproof case. After two weeks with the Motorola Edge, I find it difficult to recommend the smartphone over competitive models such as the Huawei P30 Pro, OnePlus 7T, Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite and Poco F2 Pro. They are also not perfect, but have disadvantages that I can live with better. Whether the Motorola Edge is a good choice for you depends mainly on your wishes.
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